


Stand By Me

by TifosaAtHeart (F1_Fanatic)



Series: Friends, Family And Friends That Become Family [2]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Can be read as a stand alone, Car Accidents, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Male Friendship, Unsupportive family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24389221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_Fanatic/pseuds/TifosaAtHeart
Summary: Jules had always been catching whispers.And then that summer in Corsica almost changed everything.
Relationships: Jules Bianchi & Charles Leclerc, Jules Bianchi & Lorenzo Leclerc
Series: Friends, Family And Friends That Become Family [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761085
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	Stand By Me

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for the long delay, I wanted to write something happier first but angst is all my mind can come up with lately.
> 
> This is inspired by [this video](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj4X540DiOU) (it's in French but there are English subtitles) where Franck Lagorce, Jules' karting trainer, and a few other people imply that Jules' family didn't support him fully. However, please remember that this is only a work of fiction and thus no parallels should be drawn to real life people or events. Thank you and enjoy!

Jules had always been catching whispers. Hushed arguments in Nice that grew louder once they moved to Brignoles and he jumped in his first proper go-kart. He took up racing. And although he was exceptional in it, in the bottom of his heart he knew that his family weren't completely backing him up.

They'd come to his races and cheer for him but Jules saw right through it. They weren't on his side on this. They had their objections to him racing and would much rather he'd stop.

He knew that they were just worried about him, feared that something might happen to him, especially considering the incidents that linked his family to motorsports.

But Jules also knew that if he got hurt in a race car, it would be due to reasons much more complicated than his last name and the curse it might carry. And it hurt that his family, his own flesh and blood, couldn't look past that and let him do what he most loved doing.

Driving.

Racing.

He was prepared to go against their will and fight for something that he deemed worth fighting for. But that summer in Corsica almost changed everything.

He must've been fifteen or sixteen and Charles around seven when it happened. Their families were together in holiday as they often used to and Jules had insisted that he see the karting track where he would practice during his vacation.

Jules had been the one to introduce Charles to the racing world and now Charles was collecting trophies in the lower categories.

He was still inexperienced, though, and his reflexes weren't developed enough for him to react like a proper racer should.

That was what Jules miscalculated that evening.

They were approaching a really tight right hand corner and Charles decided to make his move then. Attempting to outbreak Jules, he pulled up on the inside, squeezing his way through. Jules defended his position, however, expecting Charles to back off.

But Charles didn't.

The small yellow go-kart skidded across the circuit, Charles struggling but failing to gain control over it, and eventually it collided with the tyre barriers at the side of the track. Hard.

The loud noise of the impact had Jules check his mirrors for his young friend and immediately his blood ran cold at the sight.

When he made it back to the spot of the accident, his breath catching at his throat here and there and his legs quaking, his and Charles' parents were already there, concern and fear evident in their features. His dad was calling the emergency services, a hand cupping his free ear to block the other voices, and Charles' mum was crouched down in front of him, coaxing him into staying calm.

Jules ripped off his helmet. “What happened?”

“Charles had an accident” Herve explained calmly, his own experience in racing having taught him how to keep his emotions at bay in situations like this.

His dad ended the call and glared at him. “What the hell did you do, Jules?”

“Nothing” he muttered but the scene around him was telling otherwise.

The small go-kart Charles had been driving earlier was buried into the tyre wall while Charles himself had a nasty bruise forming on his forehead from where he'd smacked his head against the barrier, his eyes hollow and staring blankly into the distance.

It gave Jules a pause.

The boy caught his eyes observing him silently and intently and smiled up at him shakily. Jules was unable to return the gesture, and he averted his gaze.

Everything was a blur from then onwards. What he was hoping would be a quiet evening racing each other in karts ended with them waiting on the hospital yard till Charles was checked over.

Finally, he was diagnosed with a mild concussion, meaning he had to stay the night, and a heavy feeling settled in the pit of Jules' stomach.

“You know he's going to be fine, right?” Charles' older brother, Lorenzo, leaned towards him as if reading his thoughts and Jules nodded weakly.

Of course he knew but he wasn't so sure it was what mattered at the moment.

They heard voices yelling at each other near them and Jules sighed. His mum and dad had been arguing since they left the karting track and although Jules had only caught a few stray words here and there, he didn't need to guess over what.

He felt guilty, as if he hurt Charles. As if racing hurt Charles. And he didn't know which was worse.

Racing was part of him, ingrained in him, and it had always been fun and a thrill. It had never hurt him or someone he loved before. It had never been toxic or destructive.

And yet here they were standing.

With Charles lying on a hospital bed.

And he was the one to blame.

Somehow, he managed to sneak into Charles' room, needing to take this off his chest and beg for forgiveness. But the little boy was asleep, exhausted from the day's events. All Jules could do was sit beside him and clutch his hand firmly, mindful not to be too much of a disturbance.

His eyes filled with tears and his voice came out broken. “I'm sorry, Charles. I'm so sorry.”

* * *

Time flies and soon the summer passed and Jules returned to his races. But he wasn't the same.

Jules was a racer through and through. He was meant to be driving that car or he'd get lost in his own head. He had to keep going.

Currently, he was stuck in that incident in the karting track in Corsica and he wasn't really doing anything to escape from it. It was evident it had left a mark on him. His facial features seemed hollow and his eyes had lost their glint as he gazed at the cars being prepared on the grid.

“Hey.” Lorenzo put his hand on his shoulder to try and distract him from the people passing by as the start time of the race was nearing. “You have to let go of it.”

Charles might be Jules' little one but the bond he shared with Lorenzo was special. They had practically been best friends since they were tiny and they couldn't really remember a day when the one hadn't been there for the other. Lorenzo had been for Jules the older brother he never had in very much the same sense he was now guiding and protecting Charles. Lorenzo only had to look at him and he'd know what was on his mind. He would hear him out and he'd never judge him afterwards. He'd say all the right things and then the world wouldn't feel as if it was a mess.

But right now Jules couldn't find it in himself to listen to what Lorenzo was telling him.

“I hurt him, Enzo” he murmured, both hands running through his combed hair and eyes trailing back to where Charles was rocking on the balls of his heels behind the barriers.

A soft smile crept its way onto his lips.

Lorenzo gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It wasn't your fault.”

And when Jules turned sharply at him, his earlier fond expression having washed away, Lorenzo sighed.

“I know you love him, Jules, but you can't wrap him up in bubble foam and keep him away from harm's way forever. Sooner or later, he'll get hurt and it won't be just a couple of scratches.”

Jules, though, shook his head, making a different argument, “People do outrageous things on the racetracks, Enzo. And it only takes a fraction of a second for something to go wrong. I was stupid at the track and look what happened to Charles. It was him that day, today it could be me and I just can't afford to see those looks on their faces again. I can't have them saying _we told you so_ again...”

His voice was breaking a little at the end, emotions taking the better of him, and Lorenzo rubbed his arm sympathetically.

Truth be told, he could only imagine what his friend was going through. In his case, it had been his conscious decision to quit racing but while he was at it his family had been nothing but supportive. It was the same with Charles and Arthur now. Jules constantly had to prove himself to them.

“Hey.” Lorenzo grabbed him by his shoulders, looking him straight in the eye, making sure this would sink in. “Don't do this for them, do it for you. You're not here to prove a point, you're here because you can't do otherwise. Because you love racing and you'd be miserable if you had to stop. The danger is always there but you can't think about it when you jump into the car. All you'll be thinking about is going flat out and the checkered flag, okay?”

Jules nodded and Lorenzo hugged him firmly. “Stay safe out there.”

Most of the time, he loved Jules' family like his own. But they were so caught up on the past that they couldn't even be happy for Jules. And he really wished things were different.

* * *

Charles was standing in the back of Jules's garage after the race, staring at his first place trophy in rapture and with his mouth agape. It wasn't just the fact that it was so shiny and clear he could practically use it as a mirror. Mostly, it was what it stood for, the huge one on its front and the blissful satisfaction that comes with the knowledge that someone you love is really the best.

“I think Charles is in love” his brother commented next to him and when a soft chuckle came on the heels of Lorenzo's voice, Charles knew Jules was nearby, too.

Before he could roll his eyes at the pair of them (and he was astoundingly good at it for a seven year old), someone grabbed his waist from behind, spinning him onto the air before a kiss landed on his forehead.

“Don't worry, Charlie, you'll get a bigger one soon” Jules promised and Charles pushed himself straight to beam at him widely.

“Can we go karting together soon, Jules?”

The change in Jules' features was too sharp and dramatic to ignore even for Charles' all too young self. But his intuition and the fact that his brother was practically holding his breath as indecision, guilt and fear all flashed across Jules' eyes, told him this was pretty serious.

Then, the corner of his mouth curled upwards into a slight smile.

“Lorenzo told you to say this, didn't he?”

Lorenzo immediately threw his hands up in defense. “I didn't tell him to say anything!”

But Charles was already nodding his head eagerly, spilling the beans and making Jules laugh in the process. The Leclerc brothers always had each other's back so it was nice to know they had his, too.

“But I like it when we go karting together?” Charles made it to be a question, his eyes now sincere and nothing to do with his brother telling him that Jules needed to hear this. “I promise I'll be extra careful this time and won't smash into walls.”

If it was a good thing or a bad thing that tears pooled in Jules' eyes and a shaky sob escaped his lips as soon as the words left Charles' mouth, Charles didn't know but his godfather instantly pulled him into a firm hug.

“I love you, little one.”

Charles tightened his small hands around Jules' neck when he felt soft moisture in his hair. “Je t'aime aussi, Julio.”

Lorenzo leaned against a wall and watched them with his arms folded and a fond smile on his face.

Destiny is probably the only thing you can't fight. For everything else, the two of them were fighters and one day they were going to conquer the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Guys! Yesterday I posted a fic in the Ford V Ferrari fandom, it's F/M so I get not everyone's into that but it would mean the absolute world to me if you could check it out. I just spent a lot of time and energy in writing it and it breaks my heart that it's still on zero hits. 😢
> 
> As far as this universe is concerned, please leave a kudo or a comment, I'm also open to prompts and any ideas you might have for future fics. Honestly, whatever is going through your head about this little verse, I want to hear it. 🤗


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